Misconception
by McMahonHelmsleyEraFan
Summary: A heartbroken Stephanie tries to explain herself after her pregnancy lie comes to light. When she believes that Hunter won't hear her out, she teams up with his enemies to try to seek vengeance. But will her heart and conscience allow her to?
1. Breathe

So I realized that ignoring a fic idea won't make it go away. In fact, it makes it so that I can't concentrate on other fic. LOL. So here's the idea I've been repressing for a couple of weeks now. As far as updates go, I've got about half of the next chapter of Borderline done. I'll finish that, then work on Duality. DSDT I am perilously close to axing. The first 5 chapters just sucked so badly that it's ruining the latter chapters (i.e. making them not make sense b/c I screwed up the first 5 hahaha). So I'll let you guys vote it out, so to speak. I've got an idea for a WAN sequel, but there's noooo way I can take on that much fic at once and update consistently, while working (and still looking for another job and all the other stuff I've got going on)...let me know!

Thanks to Shannon for helping out with the title and for letting me bounce song ideas off of ya! The song is "Breathe Again" by Sara Bareilles. ENJOY! :-D

* * *

><p>Hunter sat in the living room of his and Stephanie's house, staring blankly into the fireplace. Above it, on the mantle were various framed photographs of himself and Stephanie. He wanted to fucking hate her right now. But he couldn't bring himself to. Stephanie might have plotted against and manipulated other people, but very rarely did she do that to him.<p>

The exception was when she purposely flirted with Kurt Angle, trying to see if he cared about her enough to be jealous.

Eventually, she'd revealed what her reasoning had been and she'd apologized profusely for it. It was never her intention to hurt his feelings. And she certainly didn't expect that he'd end up with an actual injury because of her. They'd had a nice, long talk about it. He'd only yelled a few times. But, everything was sorted out and they were okay again.

So, he failed to understand what the hell had just happened. He knew that they were fighting a lot lately. But how could she bring herself to lie about something so important?

Becoming a parent was one of life's greatest accomplishments. Stephanie had given that to him falsely and then it was ripped away from him just as quickly. There had to be a reason for why she did this.

But, he didn't know what it was. And he didn't know if she was sorry for it. He'd glanced down at his phone repeatedly, waiting to see her picture pop up on the caller ID. Waiting for her name to scroll across the top portion of the screen, in a text message. But, neither one of those things happened. The only thing that had changed since the last time he saw her was that she'd come here and taken her clothes and car. And she hadn't even done that to his face. He'd caught the first flight out this morning. By the time he got here, she and her things were nowhere in sight. Clearly, she'd purposely beaten him back here. And then she ran away instead of trying to sort their horribly damaged marriage out. It fucking hurt.

Car is parked, bags are packed, but what kind of heart doesn't look back  
>At the comfortable glow from the porch, the one I will still call yours?<br>All those words came undone and now I'm not the only one  
>Facing the ghosts that decide if the fire inside still burns<p>

The previous night, Stephanie had taken her family's jet from Las Vegas, Nevada to Greenwich, Connecticut. She'd packed up all of her clothes and stuffed them into her black Infiniti sedan. It's not that she wanted to go. But at the time she didn't have any other ideas on what she should do. Hunter had made it very clear that he was done with her.

She wished she wouldn't have lied and told him she was pregnant with their child. Not because she got caught, but because it was wrong. It damaged her credibility in their marriage, so to speak.

When she'd gone out to the ring to make her announcement, she hadn't intended to say any of that. All she wanted was for him to open up. Quite honestly, she literally couldn't remember the last time Hunter had told her he loved her. Maybe she had gone about it in the wrong way, given the kind of guy he was. But her intentions were good. All she really wanted was to know that he still wanted her and wanted their marriage to work. In hindsight, her presentation had been awful.

Maybe he would have agreed to renewing their wedding vows under different circumstances. The only reason she had suggested they do it in the ring is because she was smart enough to realize Hunter wouldn't take time off to have the ceremony. Especially not since he had just returned from an injury.

But, when he declined her suggestion, she hadn't said that. She hadn't told him the real reason she came up with the specifics of the idea. Because he would tell her that she was being ridiculous in thinking his career meant more to him than she did. He'd blow her off like he always did recently. And absolutely nothing would change. Instead, she'd made it about herself. She'd talked about how people thought she was riding his coattails and they needed to prove them wrong. It was an attempt to appeal to the side of him that was protective of her and her reputation.

Of course, he'd completely and totally exploded. Because he'd made it very clear that everything was about him nowadays. God forbid she ask him to do anything for her. It didn't matter that she'd done any and everything she always could for him.

All I have, all I need, he's the air I would kill to breathe  
>Holds my love in his hands, still I'm searching for something<br>Out of breath, I am left hoping someday I'll breathe again  
>I'll breathe again<p>

The whole truth was an option that would get her nowhere. The skewed truth got her screamed at. So, she'd told a lie.

As quickly as she conceived of the idea, the words that she was pregnant were out of her mouth. She was shocked to hear her own voice echoing the words throughout the arena. To keep herself sane and to make her realize she couldn't simply take it back, she started rambling about her non-existent pregnancy symptoms. She was all in now. Once the lie was spoken, she couldn't just retract it on national television. As pissed off at her as he'd been, that would have been a surefire way to get him to leave her right then and there.

Her plan was absolutely ridiculous. Once she got past the fake doctor's appointment, she was at a loss for what to do. She figured that she might tell Hunter the truth after they renewed their wedding vows. After she was convinced that he actually still loved her.

Open up next to you and my secrets become your truth  
>And the distance between that was sheltering me comes in full view<br>Hang my head, break my heart built from all I have torn apart  
>And my burden to bear is a love I can't carry anymore<p>

Stephanie wanted to be angry with her mother for ousting the lie. But, really. What else could be expected from the virtuous Linda McMahon? Quite frankly, Stephanie needed some damn advice on how to get her husband back. And judging by the fact that her mother had been married so long, she must have had some decent insight on how she could begin to fix this fucking mess.

Her instructions to her only daughter were simple; meet with Hunter and bare her soul. So she'd written him a letter. It was a somber, apologetic one that merely scratched the surface of how she felt and what she wanted to say to him. She could only hope that he was intrigued enough by it, to actually show up. She closed her eyes as she recalled every line she wrote, from memory.

_Hunter,_

_I know this may be hard for you to believe...but I really am sorry for what I've done. It was a fleeting, desperate thought at what might help us be as close as we used to be. I didn't intend for that to come out of my mouth. It wasn't planned. If nothing else, please believe that. And I know that it doesn't excuse the things that I said and did after making the pregnancy announcement. _

_I...want to explain to you what I've been feeling. What I've been thinking. I need you to understand how and why this happened. You have to know that I never meant to hurt you. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do. I just want to love you and be loved by you. _

_We drifted apart and it seemed like the gap would grow wider before it started becoming more narrow. _

_Please, talk with me about why that was the case. I'm begging you. _

_I know that you're in town and at our home. I'm at my parents' until Thursday afternoon. We're only a few miles apart from each other, so I know that this letter will reach you on Wednesday, since I'm mailing it out in a few minutes. _

_I'll be at our spot on Wednesday at 6 p.m._

_All my love,_

_Stephanie_

She'd sealed the envelope and jumped up from her bed. It was a shame that this one piece of paper would probably determine the fate of her marriage. With a heavy heart and watery eyes she'd exited the room of her childhood and headed down the stairs and into the living room. With her slender fingers, she'd grasped and turned the doorknob and stepped out onto the porch. Her blue eyes had looked up to the sky.

For some strange reason, she empathized with the sun. All she wanted was to be happy – to shine. But, there was currently a dark cloud dampening her spirits. What happened the prior night was merely the culmination of the downward spiral of her marriage. But things had been going badly for months. Whatever was weighing her relationship down needed to be talked about.

Even if Hunter wouldn't take her back, the least she wanted to accomplish was an understanding. She wanted him to truly know why she did what she did. And she desperately needed to know why he hadn't cared enough to try to save their marriage before he thought she was pregnant.

She'd taken a deep breath and headed down the long walkway of her parents' estate. She'd affixed the sealed envelope to the side of the mailbox, knowing that the mailman would take it. He always did; the same man had delivered their mail ever since she was a teenager.

Having done her part, she walked back towards the house and told herself that the rest was up to fate and Hunter.

All I have, all I need, he's the air I would kill to breathe  
>Holds my love in his hands, still I'm searching for something<br>Out of breath, I am left hoping someday I'll breathe again

The gentle breeze blew her chestnut hair behind her. She raised the mug and took a timid sip. Her facial muscles visibly relaxed as she found that it was the perfect temperature. Stephanie sighed and glanced down at her cell phone. It was fifteen minutes past 6.

Maybe he was running late. After the terrible thing she'd done, he probably figured she could stand to wait on him a little bit. That was fair.

A few minutes of sitting by herself at a restaurant where she'd already informed the server she was waiting for someone. That wasn't too embarrassing. At least, it certainly wasn't as embarrassing as the way her marriage imploded on national television. This was a walk in the park, in comparison.

"Please come, Hunter," she whispered as she scanned the street in both directions for him. He would at least have the decency to send a text message if he wasn't going to come. He wasn't cruel enough to leave her sitting out here in the cold for two hours.

It hurts to be here  
>I only wanted love from you<br>It hurts to be here  
>What am I gonna do?<p>

Forty-five minutes later, Stephanie's impatience and worry won out. This cafe closed at 8. If Hunter was going to be any later than that, maybe they could switch venues. Or, if he wasn't coming at all, he could tell her and spare her the pain of sitting out here for another hour. She pulled her hands from the pockets of her leather coat. She picked her Blackberry up from the table and went to the thread she had going with Hunter. She tried to ignore the twinge of pain she felt at the infrequency of messages with him.

There was a time when they'd have an entire conversation via text message, if one or both of them wasn't able to talk on the phone. Shaking the thought from her head, she keyed in a simple question mark. She attached a random, candid picture of the two of them and edited her settings so that she would be able to receive a 'read report' on the picture message. That was something that she wouldn't be able to do with a simple text message. She took a deep breath and sent the message to him.

"Would you like a refill?" The polite masculine voice beside her asked.

Stephanie snapped out of her trance to see her server, Alex gesturing towards her empty mug. Dimly, she nodded and turned her attention back to the pedestrian traffic.

A few minutes later, Alex placed her mug back down on the coaster. Stephanie looked up from her cell phone and nodded her thanks, staring into the handsome youngster's dark brown eyes. Alex couldn't have been more than nineteen years old. His shaggy, brown mop of hair was being blown across his forehead in accordance with the wind. He pressed his lips together thoughtfully and Stephanie knew he wanted to inquire about her no-show companion.

Saving them both from the uncomfortable situation, her phone buzzed against the table. She engaged the menu and saw that the report had arrived. Hunter had both received and read her message. There was nothing to do now but wait.

All I have, all I need, he's the air I would kill to breathe  
>Holds my love in his hands, still I'm searching<br>All I have, all I need, he's the air I would kill to breathe

Stephanie's chair scraped against the concrete as she moved to stand up. The cafe was closing. She left a twenty dollar bill on the table. It was enough to cover her two caffeinated drinks as well as a hefty tip. She stuffed her phone and hands into her jacket and started walking down the street. She sniffled and reached up with one hand, to wipe at her eyes furiously.

Not only did Hunter not show up, but he didn't call or even text her back either. Her chest felt like it was being crushed under a boulder. The torrent of tears wanted to start, but she was trying to fight it. But that didn't stop the hyperventilating. She took desperate gulps of air in an attempt to soothe her scarred, burning senses. Really, she wanted to hang her head low to avoid the probing gazes of strangers.

But there was a slim chance that Hunter had planned it to happen this way. That he wanted to wait until the last possible moment to meet up with her. So, she kept her head held as high as she could manage, continuing to be on the lookout for him.

Only when she was safely inside her car did she give up hope and break completely.

Holds my love in his hands, still I'm searching for something  
>Out of breath, I am left hoping someday I'll breathe again<br>I'll breathe again

Not more than fifteen miles away, Hunter continued to scowl at his phone. A picture and a fucking question mark. That's all she had to say for herself after everything that happened. Yet again, she'd sank to a level he didn't know was possible. If this was an attempt at an apology, it absolutely sucked. No way was this going to make him take her back or even initiate a dialogue with her.

Stephanie was a selfish, arrogant brat and she could go straight to hell if she thought that's all it would take to redeem herself.

* * *

><p>While I've got ideas, I've got nothing written for future chapters. I can continue this and expand it to about 5-10 chapters (would involve Steph attempting to ruin him with Y2J...but in a kind of rewrite of history)...or I can leave it as a one-shot. You guys decide! :-D<p> 


	2. Rage

This chapter pretty much materialized out of nowhere lol. But it does what I need it to do - explain how Stephanie goes from sullen to vengeful in a short amount of time. DLDB, you proposed some great potential villains (I guess that'd be the word lol) and actually got me to reconsider my initial villain. You'll find out who it is in the next chapter! Caty...your question is answered at the end of this chapter...but alas, them talking is pretty much the end of this fic lol. But hopefully you enjoy the evil along the way :-D. Shannon...your keyboard issues are hilarious. I know how annoying touch screens can be. It's even worse when it screws up an important email or text hahaha. Thanks for the reviews, all! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>After a solid twenty minutes of sobbing her heart out, Stephanie drove around aimlessly. She had no particular destination in mind. No reason to drive anywhere really. She just knew she had to get away from the location where her world had well and truly fell apart. Yes, things had come crashing down around her two nights prior. But after talking with her mother, she still had some small shred of hope.<p>

Now that was gone, too. She was hopeless, jobless and single in the ways that mattered. She'd pity herself if she had any room for it.

But, she didn't. Somewhere between crying like a baby and driving around town in her car, something about her mood had shifted. It was like she cried all the tears that her body was capable of producing. Had felt all the sadness her heart would let her.

She felt numb. Really, really numb.

Stephanie reached up and pulled down the visor on her side. The brightness of the light made her blink a couple of times before her vision adjusted. She noticed that her normally bright, expressive eyes were pale and vacant. Her mouth was pressed into a neutral line.

For a moment, she was confused when the row of houses suddenly stopped. She looked around and chuckled bitterly. Wistfully she thought, _this is our, I mean my, I mean his. _She ran a hand through her hair before grabbing the steering wheel in frustration. _Hunter's, _she thought firmly. _This is Hunter's street. _

Briefly, she chewed her lip as she tried to decide what to do. Maybe her instincts had led her here for a reason. Maybe they were telling her to confront him about why he was a no-show, no-call tonight even though he'd received and read her text message. Hell, she might just try to talk to him about everything. It might be her first and last chance to get everything off of her chest. Enough of this had played out in the public eye, so she wasn't particularly inclined to pour her heart out to her potentially uncaring husband in front of the world.

Technically, she was still a resident of this house. Though she had moved a good deal of her stuff out, her name was on the deed and she hadn't yet changed her address. So her mail would still be coming here, if she were to receive any.

_Yes, that's a viable excuse if he asks, _she decided. Instead of pulling into the driveway she parked across the street and three houses down. The last thing she wanted was for Hunter to see her headlights somehow or recognize her car because she was too close.

She took a deep breath and exited her dark sedan, closing the door lightly. She bumped the door with her hip to make it close fully. She didn't engage the alarm. It's beep would be loud considering over half of the block was asleep. Plus, it was distinct enough that Hunter might recognize it. This was a safe, relatively wealthy neighborhood so it wasn't entirely necessary anyway.

Her slender hands reached out and unhooked the iron gate that led to their front yard. The Hummer was parked at the end of the driveway, with the other side of the gate closed behind it. _Guess he didn't have the inclination to leave extra space for my car, _she thought distractedly as she shuffled up the walkway slowly.

Stephanie turned her head to the side and saw that Hunter had clipped several utility bill payments to the mailbox. She pulled it open carefully, hoping it didn't make a sound. She went deathly still when it creaked quietly. She stayed that way for a few seconds and, hearing no movement from inside the house, peered in to find that he'd already taken the mail from that day. She chewed her lip while she considered. He'd come outside to get the mail and to leave some for the mailman to pick up. Meaning that he was still alive and cognizant of the fact that bills were due.

Meaning he'd received and ignored her letter. She stepped to the side and engaged the security panel.

Upon seeing the system light blink green, indicating she'd punched in the correct pass code, she pushed the front door open slowly and left it only slightly cracked open.

Fully deciding that she was really going to do this and that things like dignity, pride and self-respect were now inconsequential, she entered the living room and was surprised to find a fire burning in the fireplace, but Hunter nowhere in sight. She told herself that this was highly unsafe and that he might burn the house down if a paper accidentally caught on fire and wafted out into the room onto something flammable. She flicked the switch and watched the fire die instantly. She looked around for signs of where he had gone. Finding nothing, she decided to head up the stairs to the master bedroom.

To her, her footsteps seemed entirely too audible. It was like something out of a damn horror movie. She reached the landing and turned to the right, heading towards the open door. She poked her head inside cautiously. She was pretty sure she was wincing already. She opened one eye timidly.

Immediately, she covered her mouth to make sure no sound got out. Hunter was face down on top of the plush comforter, breathing heavily. He was totally and completely knocked out.

Having absolutely no idea what to do now – she was torn between waking him up to talk or admiring him while he slept shirtless - her eyes darted around. And landed on his cell phone sitting on top of the nightstand.

Unable to quell her curiosity. Or being completely nosy and a little bit crazed, she walked over quietly, picked it up and unlocked the screen. She couldn't help the tears from pooling in her eyes when the screen came to life. Currently open was the text message that she sent him. It looked like he'd been keying in a reply and had either thought better of it or simply fallen asleep. Likely it was the first choice because the phone had been on the nightstand rather than on the bed somewhere.

_Not good enough, _was what the draft said.

In that moment, something changed. She stared at the message, then back down at Hunter sleeping peacefully. So he thought that her letter – thought that pouring her heart out wasn't good enough? He'd decided that _she _wasn't even worth a fucking text message to let her know that he wasn't going to come.

The numbness left her and its place she was beginning to feel something else.

_Disgusted perhaps, _she thought as she calmly put the cell phone back down on the nightstand. Briskly, she exited the room without looking back at her sleeping, estranged husband. Her long legs descended the staircase with purpose.

Momentarily, she considered turning the fire in the living room back on. Hell, maybe she should toss a paper in there and then put it on the carpet. He deserved to be burned just as he'd burned her. The fact that her scars were emotional and she was considering giving him physical ones was of no consequence. Especially not since she instantly decided against the idea. It would be a waste to set this beautiful house on fire. And she didn't want to do something that would possibly land her in jail or be potentially fatal to him.

That was too good for him. Too good for this man who'd mistreated her for nearly three years. Too good for someone who'd stolen her heart, played with it and then finally stomped it to pieces slowly.

_No, no, _she thought, feeling a twisted smile cross her lips as she walked over to the mantle above the fireplace. She picked up a random framed photograph of the two of them. Studied it. Sneered at the lie that this picture told wordlessly. The lie that he'd actually loved her.

She swallowed roughly; her throat had gone dry in accordance with her escalating, unidentifiable feelings. She threw the picture into the fireplace, watching with a disconnected satisfaction as the frame smashed to pieces. But the picture was still intact. She frowned at it. It was mocking her by standing straight up on the fake logs so that she could see the image perfectly. She flipped the switch to the fireplace and watched as the picture caught fire and began to crumble into itself.

When there was nothing left of that particular memory except ash, she decided to be more thorough. Hunter was nothing if not thorough. He made sure he broke her heart systematically and in every way possible. He made sure she knew that she was worth absolutely nothing to him.

In that moment she knew what feeling had overcome her.

Pure, unadulterated rage. For almost three years she'd given him love. In return she'd received verbal abuse, disrespect, the cold shoulder and finally the door. She couldn't hurt Hunter emotionally; he didn't care about her enough for her attempts at that to be effective.

_So what is the best way to affect him from the top of his head down to the soles of his feet? _She pondered as she threw each photograph of them into the fire one by one, watching as the surrounding frames broke, cracked and splintered on impact.

She smiled as the answer came to her. _Ruin his chances at becoming the champion again_. _Shatter all the hard work he's done on his quad._ It was all worth a pile of shit unless his career was successful again. She knew that and so did he. Hell, everyone in the company and in the world knew that.

Satisfied at having some semblance of a plan...and a couple of shreds of her dignity back, she turned her back on the now burning photographs and walked outside the door. While inside the house she had been so distracted that she didn't realize it had started raining. Somehow the brewing storm didn't bother her so much. Not even as her clothes became plastered to her skin and her hair began to cling to her face.

What she was about to do to Hunter's professional life was equivalent to how the clouds and water were obliterating the sky and streets.

Inside her car, she couldn't help but laugh. Hunter would probably have a conniption when he realized he'd had somewhat of an intruder tonight. Would he guess that it had been her though? Somehow she didn't care. It wasn't like she broke the law or anything. There was nothing he could do about it.

As she started her car, she was so preoccupied with her plans that she didn't pay a bit of attention to the soggy, ruined paper just in front of her left tire; she just ran over it. She had no idea that it had once been her letter. Her letter that had been blown away with the wind right after the mailman had dropped it off, but neglected to double-check to make sure that the mailbox was fastened securely.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** As a sidebar...initially I was going to have it be so that Vince had basically come across the letter outside of the house and got rid of it. But, he's somewhat overused as a villain/threat to their relationship. Plus, I do believe my absentee Livvie once did a fic where she implied Vince intercepted some letter, message or something from Hunter to Stephanie. So, I went in a different direction with that.


	3. Battlefield

Thanks to Caty and Shannon for reviewing that last chapter - it is much appreciated! Shannon, OMG your phone is a trip, it might be time to replace that bad boy! And hehe yeah it's ironic all right...he's sleeping like a baby and she's downstairs burning things like some psycho haha.

Also thanks to Shannon - this chapter's title was your idea pretty much.

With this chapter, I took the "I vow" line from the original promo...I think. I don't know, it's been a while since I watched it but I remember thinking that line and her crazy-woman talk were genius. So I took that basic idea, but threw in some emotion, also. Thanks to DLDB for the villain choices!

I'd originally planned for this one to go for 5 chapters. I have since given up that hope. I'm sure it'll be less than ten though. Hope you two ladies and the rest of the readers enjoy this one. Let me know!

* * *

><p>Ever since arriving to the arena an hour ago, Stephanie had debated on what music to come out to. The last thing she needed to do was remind her father that not so long ago she tried to run him out of business. So she wouldn't be using the music from her time as the owner of ECW. She very well could have come out to her father's classic music. But she declined that idea, too. She'd be keeping her "my time" theme for two reasons.<p>

The first, was that it truly fit the situation. After seeing the way his daughter's marriage fell apart, he was inspired to go take a vacation with her mother. In a show of good faith, he'd allowed her to reclaim her position in the company. As if that wasn't enough to send her over the moon, he also declared that in his absence she was in charge.

The second, was because it would piss Hunter off. From here on out, it was kind of her life's mission to be as much of a nuisance for him as possible.

Her hips swayed from side to side as she made her way down the ring. Her face wore a confident expression as usual. And really, why shouldn't she be confident? Until her father returned she was the boss. She was running the show and poised to transfer her emotional pain onto Hunter. But she had no intention of letting him know how hurt she was.

Because Hunter didn't understand feelings. Looking back, she realized he probably never did. In the past he would only say or do what was necessary to make her feel better at that very moment. But he never truly _got _why she felt the way she did. He was a smart guy and could probably figure it out – or hell, just ask her – but he didn't want to. Often, he actually left her in the room by herself to deal with her emotions. She thought it was just one of those things that guys did. But now she saw it for what it was.

Hunter was never truly interested in what she thought or felt. All he cared about was what she could do for him. If the topic of conversation wasn't him, he didn't give a shit.

_Oh, but you'll listen to me now, Hunter. _After all, everything she would say in this ring tonight would be about him. In fact it would directly affect him. She'd be willing to bet money that she would have his undivided attention.

Stephanie now stood in the ring with a microphone in her right hand. She was trying to wait until the disapproval of the crowd died down. After another thirty seconds or so of insults and yelling, she was finally able to speak. "Despite the fact that you all boo me and call me that – that filthy name."

The crowd started to chant "slut" at her but she wasn't fazed. The only reason she'd ever cared about what they chanted at her was because she didn't want Hunter to start thinking of her that way. Since they were over and she was declaring war on him tonight, it didn't really matter anymore. She smiled. "That's the one," she acknowledged. "Anyway. Despite what you all think about me, I know that deep down you people are smart. Or at the very least you've got common sense."

She paused and walked around the ring, waiting for the reaction to die down. Some were cheering – happy that she'd called them smart. And some were jeering because she'd somewhat retracted that compliment. "As for the boys and girls in the back. Some might question the intelligence of being in this company. I mean a lot of us get our heads bashed in on a regular basis. Brain cells are dying left and right. And for the people who weren't that smart to begin with, that makes me even sadder." She placed a hand over her heart and nodded.

"But even still. You're all smart enough to be..._here_. You're smart enough to stick with the promotion company that's going to make you the most money and get you the most exposure. That suggests some intelligence."

Stephanie grinned and waved her hand in dismissal of her own partially rambling tangent. "My point is that we all know the meaning of the word 'hypocrite'...don't we? There's some popular old sayings about it. 'The pot calling the kettle black' and 'don't throw stones when you live in a glass house' are my two favorites. I know I've got the exact quotes wrong, but everyone knows what I mean. You all want to look down on me because I told one lie? You want to condemn me and think that I got what I deserved on Monday? You think it's _funny _that I got disrespected and dumped in front of all of you on what should've been one of the happiest days of my life? All because I told one lie?"

The crowd cheered loudly and Stephanie shook her head until they quieted down.

"Tell me. How many of you have never told a lie? Hmm? How many of you have never misled someone or omitted the truth? Anybody?" She looked around and smiled in satisfaction at the eerie quiet that was her response. "I didn't think so. I did lie. But it's nothing that any of you haven't done before. At least I lied for a damn good reason!"

"You see, after over two years of marriage I wasn't being treated the way I should have been. Hunter didn't pay me the amount of respect, affection or attention that I deserved. I'm Stephanie McMahon. I could have had any man that I wanted." She chuckled, "I still can. But I picked Hunter. It's true enough that he had already achieved stardom before I came along. But let's set the record straight here. The McMahon-Helmsley Faction held every major title for no other reason than that we simply wanted to. Now in the interest of not being a hypocrite, I'll let you all in on something. I'm not a very good wrestler. I can fight," she immediately clarified. "But I was a horrible women's champion. Yet I held it longer than any of the recent champions. Why? Because I had the power to. I had a team to back me up and a roster who would mostly do whatever the hell I said." She held up her index finger and arched her eyebrow meaningfully. "And Hunter had that same power...that same support. He used to acknowledge that. But somewhere along the way he forgot how he'd retained the title for such long periods of time. He forgot how I'd distract the referees so he could cheat. How I'd slap or trip his opponents so that he could get in a cheap shot. And if I got hurt along the way, Hunter would make whomever was responsible pay for it. That changed. Weeks ago I tried to help Hunter after someone attempted to interfere in his match. Instead of thanking me and turning his attention back to his match with Booker T, he yelled at me. I ended up hitting my head on the apron and Booker got the win. And what did I get? Yelled at and kicked out of the dressing room! He didn't even ask me if I was okay. All he cared about was that he lost his precious match. A match that he probably would've lost anyway thanks to the interference that I tried to prevent." Stephanie squared her jaw and shook her head. She really didn't mean to bring that situation up; it was still pretty raw. Especially since during her fake pregnancy he'd gone back to being protective of her. It was a cruel reminder of the fact that he didn't love her unless she was accomplishing something for him. Without her McMahon influence, she was useless to him. Until he thought she'd be giving him a child.

Stephanie waved her hand in a circular, dismissive motion while she paced the ring. "Blah blah, we all know what happened in my marriage next so I'll skip the summary. I've taken the last three days to do some thinking. I've asked myself many questions. And I've got answers," she laughed. "Oh yeah. See Hunter, you felt the need to stop trying at all because I'd been stripped of my birthright." She smiled hugely. "But my Dad has left me in control, baby, so I've got it back! And I'm mostly going to use it for one purpose..." she trailed off and walked over to a cameraman and stared directly into the lens. She imagined that she was looking directly into her estranged husband's face. And in that moment, her facade crumbled a little. She revealed some of the hurt that was under her veil of total anger. "You vowed to love, honor and cherish me. But I've come to realize that you weren't really seeing me. No, you were having a hallucination." Stephanie swallowed hard and said with considerably less malice, "You saw a projection of your career and the title; not me." Remembering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, she blinked hard and ran a hand through her hair to compose herself again. She screwed on the most venomous, crazed look she could manage. "You burned me and screwing up those two things for you...well that's the only way I can burn you back. So I _vow _to make your life a living hell."

Backstage, Hunter was confused and contemplative. He was torn between being pissed off at Stephanie and wanting to try to have a civil conversation with her. He wasn't sure if she was hurting or if she was just enraged. He'd woken up sometime around midnight. He'd smelled something burning and had immediately headed downstairs. When he and Stephanie were both staying at the house, she always made sure the fireplace was off before heading to bed. She was worried that something would catch on fire while they slept. He'd taken advantage of her absence to go ahead and leave the damn thing on, as he liked it.

He'd be embarrassed if the living room was on fire, as she had always feared. It would show that he couldn't even survive two nights in their house without her. But as he approached the fireplace, he realized that this wasn't his doing. All of the framed pictures from the mantle were gone. He switched the fire off and stared at the fake logs. The crumbled and ruined papers were no doubt the missing photographs. The frames were in pieces, but had not completely turned to ash.

It was Stephanie who had done this. Had to be. Who else could get in the house without setting off the alarm? Who else would only set fire to those particular memories? Obviously she'd come home the prior night. And obviously she was livid with him.

All because he didn't accept her lame ass attempt to apologize. He wasn't sure if that's even what she was doing. Her text hadn't said sorry or anything even close. It was a simple question mark. She lied about being pregnant and got caught. And that was all she had to say for her actions. It wasn't enough so he hadn't replied. Somehow that had infuriated her to the point where she'd burned some of their favorite memories and was now in the ring promising to ruin him.

And she would. If anyone was capable of that, she was. All because she knew how he worked in the ring. She knew his strategies and tactics. Damn her and her irrational anger. All of this was her fucking fault and he was going to end up paying the price for it. After all of his hard work in getting back to the ring, she was going to try to stop him from achieving his goals. The fact that Vince had turned over the reins to his insane daughter for the time being pretty much cemented the fact that she'd be successful.

But that sure as hell wouldn't stop him from fighting her. If he was going down, she was coming with him. When Stephanie led with her emotions, she didn't plan things out very well. She was much more effective when she approached things from a cold and calculating perspective. If she screwed with him like he knew she would, he would just have to work hard to screw with her head.

It was possible it wouldn't be that hard to trip her up. She seemed to be pretty out of whack already. There were moments where she seemed completely sincere in what she was saying. Moments where he actually felt a twinge of guilt for what had happened between them. And then just as fast as the moment came, it was gone. Because Stephanie had gone back to speaking like a woman scorned. And his guilt would vanish and be replaced by how angry he was that she had the audacity to do what she was doing.

Before he could think about the mess that his life was sure to become, Kurt Angle's music hit. Hunter narrowed his eyes as he watched the Olympic gold medalist make his way to the ring, with a microphone already in hand. His music cut off when he was halfway down the ramp. "Steph, I gotta tell you. I agree with everything you said. Oh it's true, it's true." He reached the steps and quickly jogged up them and entered the ring to stand directly across from Stephanie. "I know that I let you down with that whole Alliance thing and all."

At the stony glare Stephanie gave him, he quickly continued. "But that's in the past. And it's not important. You know that I can get the job done against Triple H. And with your restored privileges and my wrestling expertise," he flashed her a toothy smile. "We'll be unstoppable. What do you say to being partners?" Instead of extending his hand for a handshake, he opened his arms for a hug.

Speculatively, Stephanie eyed Kurt Angle. It certainly wasn't a secret that the man had a thing for her not too long ago. She had been more surprised than anyone when Kurt Angle turned on the Alliance and secured the win for her father. Then again, maybe it did make some sense. Vince had built this company from the ground up. He knew what it took to be successful. Even if she and Shane had won at Survivor Series, there was no guarantee they could keep or repeat that success. Angle had seen the chance to secure his spot in her father's good graces and he had taken it.

Just like he saw his chance to return to her list of allies. It was the smart thing to do, seeing as she was calling the shots and that he and Hunter had a number one contender's match coming up soon. Kurt was an opportunist, plain and simple.

And so was she. What better way to get under Hunter's skin than by utilizing a man that he truly hated? He always did suspect there was more to their friendship a couple years prior. And he was halfway right; Kurt Angle had a crush on her. At the time she just didn't want to acknowledge it. Because if she had, she couldn't justify continuing to socialize with him. And he had been the only one to truly listen to her back then. She'd have been all alone, emotionally speaking.

It should mess with his head that she and Kurt were teaming up. She hoped it ate him up and truly threw him off his game.

Hunter silently wished that his hatred for the scene in front of him was somehow radiating through the screen. Goddamn Kurt Angle was always meddling in business that concerned him and Stephanie. He felt like shoving his boot through the television just so he wouldn't have to see the two of them together.

Stephanie held up her hand to politely postpone embracing Kurt. "As a token of good faith, _partner_ I'm going to do you a little favor. It's going to be you and Chris Jericho in a handicap match against Triple H."

Ignoring Stephanie's hand, Kurt yanked her up against him and squeezed tightly. Stephanie returned the hug initially but pulled away after a moment because he was sapping her oxygen supply. "Oh and Hunter?" She blew a kiss to the camera. "Happy Valentine's Day." Her music hit and she exited the ring, arm in arm with Kurt Angle.


	4. A Glimmer, A Whisper, A Look

Hey all. I didn't want to give too much away in the summary, but I think that it might be a tad misleading. So check out the update and I think this fic will make a bit more sense to ya. This fic is more like...Steph really really wants to hate and destroy him for breaking her heart but can't quite bring herself to for whatever reason. That's why chapters one and two really just detail the misery and how it turns to rage...and then for the rest of the fic she's somewhere in between. In the next chapter they'll talk briefly (well, fight really) so stay tuned! And as a side note, the house wasn't on fire in ch 2. Just the pictures/frames and that stuff. No escaping necessary LOL.

As far as genre, I'm not sure what this is. It's angsty and dramatic for the most part. In the next chapter I want to throw in some drunken humor. The last chapter could probably be called romantic. I'm hoping that the flashback scene adds a bit more to Stephanie's character and goes deeper into the "maybe he loved me, maybe he didn't" feelings she's been dealing with. It's just some of everything really. Enjoy and let me know what you think! :-D

* * *

><p>Stephanie stood backstage at the gorilla position watching her estranged husband make his way to the ring. Her eyes and throat burned lightly as she realized that tonight they would stand on totally opposite sides. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho's enthused chattering and planning went in one ear and right out of the other.<p>

Two years prior, she had been in a similar position. Except for the fact that she had stood backstage with Hunter while he prepared to go out to face Cactus Jack in a street fight at the Royal Rumble.

_Hunter glanced to his right and noticed the apprehensive look on his wife's face. She had been very vocal about how much she disapproved of this match. But a challenge had been issued and he was never one to back down. He used his index finger to poke her in the side. He was trying to make her laugh because he knew she was ridiculously ticklish. Anything to get a smile out of her. All he received today was worried frowns. _

_Stephanie glanced up at him and simply shook her head. She knew what he was trying to do. But it seemed that every other part of her had shut down. All she could feel was worry._

"_I'll be fine, Steph."_

_She looked at him incredulously and gestured to the monitor where Cactus Jack stood awaiting their arrival. "Do you have any idea what that – that psycho wants to do to you?"_

_Hunter lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Yeah. Same thing I want to do to him, actually."_

_An agonized, frustrated groan passed her lips and she was sorely tempted to slap him for his absolute recklessness and stupidity. He was actually laughing. What the hell was funny? The two of them would go out and beat the holy hell out of each other. One of them might get injured or worse. And Hunter wasn't taking that very real possibility seriously. She shook her head again and averted her gaze elsewhere. She folded her arms across her chest stubbornly and refused to look at him._

"_I want you to stay back here."_

_Her head snapped back and she was wide-eyed. "What? Why?"_

_Hunter glanced at the monitor contemplatively. "It's too risky for you to be out there during the match."_

"_It's always somewhat of a risk for me to be out there," she pointed out. Inwardly, she was hoping he would finally tell her that he loved her. Sometimes she swore she could feel it in his intense gaze. And then other times she was sorely reminded that this all began because of business. And lust. All she knew was that she damn sure wouldn't be the one to say it first. Not when she practically wore her heart on her sleeve already._

"_But this is different," he disagreed and turned to face her. "There's so much on the line and so much is going to be going on. I don't need the distraction."_

_The hopeful feeling that she had suddenly faded. Of course his biggest concern was that he'd lose the title. Somewhere under there she liked to believe he sincerely cared about her well-being. But all his words conveyed was that he'd have to divert his attention to helping her, if she were to get hurt._

_Hunter's music hit, effectively ending the disappointing conversation she was having with her husband._

_As they walked down the ramp side by side, she glanced over at him more than usual. She couldn't help it. She was wondering if he'd look the same after the match. If Foley had anything to say about it, he'd probably be leaving with multiple gaping flesh wounds in his face. In the flashing green and black lights, she admired him every couple of seconds. But more than anything, she couldn't suppress her curiosity. How the hell could a guy as intelligent as he was not realize that she was head over heels in love with him? That she'd go through anything...be anything for him. Either it was lost upon him entirely or he just plain didn't care._

_She was seriously beginning to think it was the latter option. Because as many times as she shamelessly began to stare at him, she found that his gaze was only fixed straight ahead. His only focus, his only care in the world was his damn career. _

_The only time he paid attention to her was when she was the avenue to helping him accomplish his goals. _

_She didn't know if the realization of that or the fact that she'd take it anyway was more depressing. She'd rather have some of him than none at all. For now, at least._

_They reached the end of the ramp and stopped. She turned her head and wasn't surprised to find that he still wasn't looking at her. But a second later, he did turn towards her. For that one moment, his eyes told her what his mouth refused to. Or so she hoped – maybe it was just a desperate projection of what she wanted to believe. She reached up and put her arm around his neck, pressing her lips to his cheek. He turned his body and actually leaned into the embrace as her hand slipped from his neck and down his back. His arm went around her waist for all of half a second and he once again started staring at Cactus Jack. Squashing her frustration, she patted his shoulder once to silently wish him luck before turning away._

_Alone, she walked towards the backstage area. She looked back at the ring a few times. But she wasn't sure what she expected to see. Whatever guard he'd let down to give her that one adoring look was long gone. All she hoped for was that one day it would return. And stay permanently. _

_This was the moment that she truly knew her feelings weren't exactly reciprocated. Not that the realization stopped her from trying. She'd even ignored his request that very night because she had to make sure he was okay. He'd been too out of it to be pissed off that she'd come to the ring anyway. And because she worried he was going to suffer brain damage from the beating he took, she'd broken down and actually told him she loved him. He'd had the energy to just lay flat on his back with his arms spread out tiredly. He didn't return the expression...nor did he ask her to repeat herself. So she let it go and pretended it never happened. _

_And she continued to stay by his side. It wasn't until WrestleMania, a few months down the line that she felt like she was breaking through to him. He took the initiative to get her a diamond ring. He still didn't say anything to indicate that he cared. But the gesture showed her that he was at least trying to feel something legitimate for her._

An impatient tug on her arm broke her from her trip down memory lane. "Steph, let's go!" She allowed Kurt to practically drag her out to the stage. Kurt Angle was on her left side and Chris Jericho was on her right. But she ignored them both and looked out to Hunter. She was hoping that there'd be a glimmer...a whisper that just maybe she had it all wrong. That maybe he did care. But all he spared her was a menacing glare as he stood at the edge of the ring, his hands pressing down on the top rope while he awaited their arrival.

Suddenly feeling defensive, she reminded herself of what needed to be done. _Focus, Stephanie, _she told herself. While she wasn't a fan of the angry glare that was directed at her...she couldn't help but notice it was pretty fucking sexy. Hunter pointed at her and his mouth was moving rapidly. He was most likely spouting off obscenities. But over the music and the crowd, she couldn't hear him at all. She didn't know if it was better or worse that way.

For most of the match, she was overwhelmingly...not present. She was watching, but she couldn't really get into it. Every single time Hunter took a hard bump in the ring, she wanted to cheer for him to get up. She wanted to run to him and make sure he was okay. It was so sad that she couldn't even firmly stick behind her own plans.

She'd vowed vengeance and declared war. And yet all she wanted to do was tell Angle and Jericho to just end the damn match already. They had this thing won minutes ago and were simply toying around with her estranged husband.

_It's what he deserves for hurting me so much, _she tried to reassure herself. But the words failed to sink in as she watched Hunter be put into the Walls of Jericho. This was the same move that further damaged Hunter's torn quad last spring. God, she wanted to stop what was happening. But she didn't know how. And she didn't know why.

His groans and yells of pain invaded her senses and then finally he tapped out. The bell rung and her two allies were declared the winners. So why hadn't Jericho released the hold?

_Oh God, _Stephanie thought while she swallowed down the bile in her throat. Hunter was going to reinjure his leg and it would be all her fault. But she couldn't let him see that she actually cared about his welfare. That was in direct contrast to everything she said in the ring earlier.

_And he deserves this! He deserves all of it! _She chanted that in her head but was still no closer to believing it than she had been thirty seconds ago.

Finally, mercifully, an official pried Jericho off of Hunter. Because it's what she was supposed to be doing, she clapped and cheered that her side completely dominated the match.

She couldn't help but think that her fake enthusiasm for seeing him get his ass handed to him was just as bad as him faking his way through their marriage. Before she knew what was happening, Kurt Angle had lifted her into the air and was twirling her around happily. Just out of instinct, she smiled and raised her arm in the air triumphantly as he carried her to the ramp.

Stephanie celebrated with and congratulated the two men as the three of them walked together. Before disappearing backstage, she glanced back at the ring and her heart sank. Hunter was gingerly rolling out of the ring. When his feet hit the floor he hesitantly stood up and was visibly limping as he swatted referees away from him.

She wanted to talk to him. To let him know that this wasn't what she intended. All she wanted was to screw with his career – not take it away from him entirely. But she couldn't. What she could do, was talk to the two overly excited jackasses walking next to her. She had to find a way to reprimand them...and reign in their behavior without letting them know the real reason why.

No, she didn't intend to tell anyone that she simply wasn't cut out for this. She wasn't prepared to do whatever it took to ruin him. After everything that happened, she was realizing that she couldn't hate Hunter. Not when she loved him so damn much. As angry and as hurt as she was, her soft spot for him was still undeniable. He wasn't off the hook – not by a long shot. But she wouldn't stand for anyone purposely trying to end his career for good. He'd worked hard at it – harder than he'd worked at their relationship. But some of that was her fault. She always knew what they were. She was the idiot for letting business become personal. She was the one who let herself fall for someone that could never return her feelings. She'd accepted that and decided it was better than being without him at all.

Hunter...was at fault only for telling her what she wanted to hear from time to time. For making her expectations of their marriage rise. For making her believe that they could actually be a normal couple. Happy and in love. But it had been effective in keeping her around. It was cold and cruel of him to do that. But what else could be expected from someone like him? That was just his nature.

But this? This wasn't her nature at all. And she was finding that she wasn't as good at pretending as she'd like to be. "I'm hopeless," she admitted softly and to no one other than herself.

"Huh?" Kurt asked her.

Stephanie shook her head and plastered a sinister smile on her face. "Let's head to the hotel bar and get a bottle of champagne to celebrate."

"Oh, I don't know Steph. I only drink water and milk."

"Water and-" Chris stopped abruptly and burst into laughter. "Come on, junior! It'll be fun. I mean what's not to celebrate? It's clear that Triple jerk won't be getting the title anytime soon. We should be congratulating ourselves that it's because of us!"

"My treat," Stephanie offered hopefully. God, she needed a drink. Anything to take the edge off of the mess that was her life. And the disaster that was her marriage.

Kurt nodded and Stephanie recognized the suddenly competitive gleam in his eyes. "Count me in!"

_Good, _Stephanie thought. Hunter would probably be on his way to the hospital shortly. Having a plan for the night would definitely keep her from doing anything she might regret. Something like actually show up there to see how he was. Or worse, actually try to accompany him in the ambulance. This was a solid plan. A good plan. While she was drunk, she could find a way to bring up her suggestion that the two of them not be so rough on Hunter. And if anyone suspected her true feelings, she could play them off. It was perfect.


	5. 430

I'm not entirely sure where I went wrong with this one - the characters just wouldn't pop for some reason! Anywho...I decided to get this out because I had the last two chapters done. I just needed something to bridge that gap. It's definitely not my best work..but hang in there throughout these next three chapters because the conclusion is CUTE, at the very least!

* * *

><p>Stephanie inserted her key card into the slot and leaned against the door while she waited. The lock blinked green and she found that she practically fell into her room. She stumbled once and pressed a hand to the wall to regain her footing. She slipped off her heels and used the wall for leverage until she finally reached the bed a minute later. She flopped onto her back and sighed heavily.<p>

Her glazed over eyes blinked a few times to regain focus. The damn room was practically spinning.

Though she was clearly intoxicated, she would never be able to forget what happened tonight in the bar. As soon as everyone was good and buzzed, Chris and Kurt had started bragging about their accomplishment with Hunter tonight. She'd casually snuck in that it wasn't necessary to go that hard on him next time, since he was already in a weakened state. Then, she reminded him of what Hunter was capable of when he felt wronged by someone: she'd used Steve Austin's hit and run accident as well as several incidents with his sledgehammer as examples. They'd swallowed down the lumps in their throats and agreed with her.

About an hour later, a drunken Chris Jericho had jumped on top of the counter and started shouting over the intercom. He was rambling on about the biblical Battle of Jericho and how it wouldn't happen to him. His rant included how, unlike in the Bible, he would not fall. He was building his "city" with Jerichoholics and he wouldn't be losing the title anytime soon.

Up until that point, she'd been able to stifle her giggles. And then a seriously drunk Kurt Angle decided to jump on the bar next to him and grab the microphone away. His ramblings included how Chris Jericho lacked the three I's how it was true that he would eventually lose the championship to Kurt.

The two had engaged in word-slurring, shoving and bickering until the two of them finally lost their balance and fell off of the bar. Everyone in the bar had burst into laughter, Stephanie included. Once her sides stopped aching and the tears of amusement had dried up, she'd walked over to her fallen comrades and informed them that she was heading off to bed since it was past midnight.

All in all, the end of her evening and beginning of her morning had gone relatively well. After a few drinks she nearly forgot why she was drinking in the first place.

Almost.

Once she no longer had the distractions of a lively bar and a hilariously drunk pair of idiots, her thoughts had immediately returned to Hunter.

Stephanie pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes in frustration. No matter what he did to her and no matter how hard she tried, she could never stop caring for him. That one fact was becoming painfully obvious to her. It just wasn't fair, considering that he didn't feel the same way towards her. During their marriage she'd mostly been treated like a possession or like dirt. Occasionally, he'd treat her like a goddess...but that was rare.

These days, he just acted as if she was the spawn of the devil. The corner of her mouth lifted in the tiniest of smirks at the thought – there were some that did categorize her father as being that evil.

She slapped her arm onto the down comforter in frustration. She glanced over at the digital clock. It was just after one. Meaning that she'd been attempting to sleep for at least half an hour. And that her estranged husband had dominated her thoughts for a full hour. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was him in the Walls of Jericho. All she could think about was how sorry she was that because of her, his career might be completely over.

Expelling a nervous breath, she rolled herself out of bed and padded barefoot into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, knowing that it would help clear her cloud of drunkenness. At least long enough so that she didn't fall on her ass while trying to make it to Hunter's hotel room.

He'd be in the same hotel room. Even when they were together as a married couple, he'd always made sure they got the same number. Hunter's debut match in the company had been on April 30, 1995. As a tribute to the start of his career, he always stayed in room number four-thirty. A small part of her had hoped that once they were together officially, he would want to pay tribute to something else...like perhaps the day she was born, the day they met or the day they got married. But a bigger part of her wanted the relationship to work out so badly, that she never brought it up to him. Sue her for not wanting to have another disappointing conversation that confirmed that wrestling meant more to him than she did. It was one thing for her to suspect that. But there was no way in hell she could've stayed with him if he'd bluntly told her as much.

In the case of the love triangle that was herself, Hunter and wrestling, ignorance was bliss. Or at least less painful.

She grabbed her room key and slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers before heading out.

The hallways were mostly deserted as she made her way upstairs to Hunter's room. It wasn't entirely uncommon given that the first five floors were generally reserved for the roster. Which meant that half of them had turned in for the night and the other half were out having a good time. Hunter hadn't gone partying in over a year. Ever since the drama with Kurt Angle back in 2000, he essentially didn't want to take her anywhere that she might attract too much attention. He recognized that she tended to do that anyway. But on the nightlife scene, men were bold enough to actually come up and talk to the woman of their choice – even if that woman was clearly unavailable. To avoid getting in unnecessary fistfights, he had just convinced her to stay away from the events.

His dislike for the nightlife and the fact that his leg wasn't in tip-top shape definitely meant that he'd be staying in. And since he was a night person, he was probably still awake. Surely he had been seen by a doctor, given that his grueling match had ended over three hours ago.

Hesitantly, she raised her hand and rapped her knuckled against the door. She couldn't back out now. Not when she heard the low thud alerting her that he had gotten up and began walking. She finally allowed herself to dwell on the fact that she had absolutely no idea what she should say to him. No idea what she even wanted to say or have happen. He'd undoubtedly be furious with her very presence. But somehow that didn't matter. This was necessary and she wasn't sure why.

When the door flew open, his curious expression became enraged as soon as his eyes landed on her face. Stephanie shifted her eyes from his and down to his leg. She noted that his quad was taped up and that he was slightly favoring the leg. In other words, that too much damage hadn't been done.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here," he said through clenched teeth.

Already, she was starting to feel her emotional defenses go on high alert. But she had a few things to get off of her chest before she left him alone. "I just wanted to apologize...in person. I shouldn't have allied with-"

Hunter's eyebrows lifted in astonishment. "You think I want your goddamn useless apologies, Stephanie? Do you really think I want _anything _from you after everything you've done recently?"

Stephanie opened her mouth to speak...to defend herself against his accusations. He was behaving as if she'd single-handedly destroyed their marriage. It was far from the truth and she didn't plan on sitting here taking verbal abuse for it. Not when all she wanted was for him to know that she was sorry for her actions and that she had called off the dogs, more or less.

Hunter put his hand up to stop her from speaking. "Actually I do want one thing from you. I want you to get out of my face."

Feeling the tears begin to burn her eyes, she licked her lips for composure. "I just came here to tell you that I told Angle and Jericho to cool it. You don't have to worry about me trying to ruin you entirely anymore."

With that, she turned away from him and walked briskly down the hallway. After everything that happened, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Hunter's brown eyes were trained on Stephanie's retreating form until she rounded the corner and disappeared. The woman was trying to kill him with confusion. One minute she's remorseful and the next she's vengeful. Clearly she didn't know which way was up anymore. He'd be better off without her. He could focus on his career without worrying about whether or not he was being a good husband to her.

Stephanie always seemed to understand how much his career meant to him, but there were times during their marriage that he'd felt extremely guilty for how little time he spent focused on her. He wasn't the best when it came to communication and she knew that. Or at least he hoped she did.

He'd like to say that he was a man that wasn't all that great at expressing himself with words. But now that he thought about it, he probably wasn't so great with actions either.

His current actions probably told her that he hated her and wanted to see her hurt. After all, there was no mistaking the glistening of tears he had caused before she ran off. Even though their marriage was over, he really did want her to be happy in life. He didn't want her to be hurting – especially not because of him.

But her lies had hurt him...even though she might not know that. How would she, when all he did was show her that he was incredibly pissed off?

And then she'd gone and set their pictures on fire, practically declared war on him and watched on as his quad was nearly ripped to shreds yet again. He wanted to believe that she'd enjoyed all of it. But the fact that she just came here to say sorry and that she was laying off, told him otherwise.

This was so confusing that he had no idea where to start.

"Fuck," he muttered out loud. Stephanie was where it all began and ended. And it's exactly where he'd be heading for some damn answers.


	6. Realize

Stephanie was lying on the bed of her hotel room, tugging the pillow to her chest. It was comforting. And if she concentrated really hard, she didn't feel so alone despite the fact the pillow wasn't capable of hugging her back. Someone's knuckles rapped against the door one, two, three times she counted.

With a heavy groan she got up from the bed and padded barefoot across the hotel room and to the door. She opened it and her eyes widened when Hunter was revealed to be on the other side.

He wasted no time asking her, with a bit of an attitude, "Why did you tell Angle and Jericho to lay off of me?"

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "They were needlessly vicious in that handicap match...I did what I thought was right."

"So I suppose you want me to thank you?" He asked cynically.

Stephanie shook her head. "No. I did it to ease my own guilty conscience. I shouldn't have tried to ruin your chance at the title."

Hunter nodded in angry agreement. "Damn right you shouldn't have. Which is exactly why I'm not the least bit grateful to you."

Again, she shrugged. She had expected nothing less. He never had been the grateful type now that she thought about it. "Okay," she said simply, folding her arms across her chest indifferently.

Hunter stared at her, wondering why she wasn't trying to fight back. Not that he knew why he wanted her to. He should be happy that she was taking the mature route. But he wasn't. Call him masochistic but he was spoiling for an argument with her and he had no idea why that was.

"This changes nothing," he decreed. "I'm not taking you back just because you finally did the right thing."

"I know," she admitted softly.

Uncomfortably, he shifted his feet. "You're a manipulative brat and I want nothing more to do with you. So don't run around doing me any favors as if it makes up for what you've done."

"That's not what I was doing," she disagreed.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you were doing. I really don't."

Stephanie's eyebrows drew together in confusion before she threw both arms up into the air in defeat. "Then why are you here?" She asked loudly. She was getting tired of the callous way he was talking to her. And to top it off, since he hadn't stepped inside her room this conversation was happening in the damn doorway for anyone who was awake to hear. Hell, at this point it wouldn't surprise her if his loudness had woken up those that actually were sleeping.

_Damn, _Hunter thought. _Good question. _Truth be told, he had no idea what he was doing here. All he knew was that he needed to see her. Instinct had taken over and logic wasn't at all present in his decision to come here. But as soon as he saw her, he was pissed off. Maybe because even after a long day she somehow managed to be breathtakingly beautiful to him. It pissed him off that because of her selfish actions she was no longer _his _beauty. Unable to say that...because this was _her _fault and he shouldn't have to lift a finger to fix this crap, he instead announced, "I'm leaving."

Stephanie chuckled. "Go ahead, Hunter," she called to his retreating form. "Walk away from me and from an important conversation just like you always do."

In mid-stride, Hunter stopped and turned around before walking the few feet back over to her. He towered over her with his nostrils flaring with his temper. "I'm not walking away from you, Stephanie," he clarified. "I am _sprinting _away from a woman who lied to my face, deceived and humiliated me!"

Slowly, Stephanie shook her head in disbelief. "Fine," she said bitterly. "You go right ahead and do that. I guess I'm the fool for letting you beat me to it."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're just so comfortable on your damn high horse looking down at me as if you're some saint. You, the same man who had Austin taken out for a year and masterminded several sneak and backstabbing attacks on people. To top it off, you've been lying, deceiving, humiliating _and_ hurting me for a long time now. It may be somewhat inconsistent. Sometimes you do better, I'll give you that. But if we weren't married and I didn't love you, I'd have left you a long time ago."

Hunter's hazel eyes narrowed and he pointed at her. "That's bullshit and you know it."

Stephanie tilted her head to the side. "Is it?" She questioned. "Let's see...on more than one occasion you've told me I mean the world to you, that you had no idea what you'd do without me, that I was the most important thing to you. Fucking lies. All of it," she declared hotly. "You prioritize everything that has to do with wrestling over me. I took a backseat to your feuds, title quests, partnerships and rehab all the time. But at least you used to care...you used to try to do better when I'd bring that up to you. But the change never lasted long. And as soon as your rehab started it's like you," she shook her head and shrugged because she hardly had words for it. "You just decided you weren't even going to try anymore. Like you just didn't give a shit that you were hurting me. I thought it would get better once you came back but it didn't. You've yelled at me, told me to shut up, kicked me out of the locker room, yelled some more, blew off any conversation I've tried to start with you. My God, why didn't you just go ahead and divorce me months ago? It would have been a quick ending as opposed to having to go through each day desperately trying to hold us together and tell myself it wasn't so bad and would get better with time."

"This doesn't justify what you did, Stephanie. I can't believe you're trying to blame me for your decision to lie and fake a pregnancy," he said between his teeth.

Stephanie scrunched up her face in insult. "I'm not blaming you for my decision. I'm just letting you know that this marriage was wrecked long before this happened." Confidently, she stepped over to him and ignored the faint scent of his cologne as he stared down at her angrily. "But you know what, Hunter?" She arched an eyebrow pointedly. "Now that I think about it, I don't regret it. That one happy, affectionate, fight-free week where you actually gave a damn about me and our marriage was worth it." She shrugged. "Even if the whole thing was a lie."

Hunter twisted his lip and chewed. "It was a lie because _you _made it so. You seem to keep forgetting that."

A dark laugh left her lips. "Everything about our interactions was a lie, Hunter! You pretended to love me and want me and I ate it up. I lived the lie even though I knew the truth would come out sooner rather than later. Because I damn well deserved it. After doing everything, giving everything I could to a man that couldn't care less I needed that one week of happiness. Because you don't love me. Looking back, I don't think you ever did. You were in love with the power being with me gave you. Once that was gone, so were you. Emotionally speaking anyway. Physically you were still there in some way. Even if it was disappointing."

Hunter's eyebrows raised and his eyes widened. "Disappointing? Stephanie every time we saw each other we were intimate. In the nearly three years we've been married that has _never _been an issue of ours. So don't try to play a card that isn't even real."

"Intimate? Making love is intimate. Being bonded to someone emotionally and mentally is intimate. We used to be that way. And during my fake pregnancy, we were again. But any other time you just fucked me like I was some whore you picked up off of a corner or something."

"I didn't hear you complaining about it. In fact I remember you doing the exact opposite of complaining," he countered smoothly.

Stephanie blinked. He wasn't even getting her point at all. "Well it was still _you._ So of course it was physically satisfying. But each time I felt used and cheap afterwards. Before I faked a pregnancy, I can't even remember the last time you told me you loved me." She contemplated for a moment, then snapped her fingers as it hit her. "I remember now! It was when you called to wish me a happy birthday. Except, you know...you were a day late!"

Upon seeing that Hunter was about to speak, she held her hand up. Over the last few months she'd heard just about enough from him. This time he'd listen. She'd make him hear her. Really and truly understand where she was coming from. Their relationship was already over, so there was nothing to lose by being totally and completely honest with him. In a more sadistic thought of hers, she hoped her words cut him at some point. If they weren't doing so now, she hoped that when he returned to his empty hotel room he would lie awake beating himself up over what a shitty husband he'd been. Deep down, she knew that wouldn't happen. She didn't have the power to cause him true pain. For that, he'd have to actually give a shit about what she thought and felt.

"This one incident of mine...it stands out so much for you – for everyone – because it's a big, important lie. No one cares that you've been lying to me since the day you said you loved me. No one cares that you've been breaking my heart. You've been so cruel," she stopped to wipe a hand over her teary eyes. "And cold...you treat strangers better than you treat me. You know that as well as I do and you've never even said 'I'm sorry' for it. After everything _you've _put me through you didn't even have the decency to reply to my letter and meet me at our spot or at least tell me you weren't going to come. You didn't respond to my text even though I know damn well you read it. And I still sat there like an idiot until the cafe closed. I had hope...I didn't lose that hope entirely until later that night."

Flabbergasted, he remained in wide-eyed silence. Letter? He hadn't received any damn letter from her. Certainly not one requesting that he meet up with her. He'd have...well, he'd have gone actually. He'd have heard her out because he wanted to know why she'd faked a pregnancy. He surmised that this was almost the exact conversation they would have had...except perhaps with less yelling and profanity. Jesus, is this why she'd been so hell-bent on revenge a few days after the split? Because she thought he'd ignored her and left her waiting – cold and alone at _their _cafe?

He was thinking about it. He was putting the puzzle pieces together in his head. But somehow his mouth failed to say the words. If he'd learned anything from all of this it was that Stephanie was a very convincing liar. She was so good at it because she took something important – something that you wanted most and pretended to give it to you. Or she pretended that you could have it. This could very well be another one of her sick plots to control him. She was allied with Kurt Angle. Maybe the two of them had some twisted plan up their sleeves. Something to make him drop his guard so that Stephanie could screw him over and cost him the title.

"Just..." Stephanie trailed off and rubbed her forehead wearily. "Just leave, Hunter. That's what you've wanted to do for a while, right? Well here's your chance. I may not be the best person in the world. But I make a damn good wife. I've realized I'm worth more than this," she said matter-of-factly. "I deserve a better husband than you." She shrugged, but her eyes still burned with her tears. She grabbed the edge of the door with her hand and gripped it hard. "When you realize that, don't expect me to care." With that, she ignored Hunter's stunned, contemplative expression and slammed the door in his face.

Just outside the door, Hunter's right hand was pressed against the door palm-flat. He rested his forehead against it for a moment before he heard multiple doors creak open. He pushed himself off of the door, his cheeks burning. Whether it was from embarrassment, anger or pain he wasn't sure. Was really too overwhelmed to think too hard about it. He walked a few paces from Stephanie's room and yelled, "Mind your damn business," to whatever nosy bastards had been listening in on the conversation.


	7. This Time

Tonight was the night. Tonight was the pay per view event No Way Out.

Stephanie business partner, Kurt Angle would face her estranged husband in a match to determine the number one contender for the title. That person would go on to face Chris Jericho. The fact of the matter was that this match shouldn't even be taking place. Hunter won the Royal Rumble and had earned his spot at Wrestlemania. But Kurt had been the person he had last eliminated and the man felt the need to challenge him, with Hunter's spot on the line. Why her estranged husband accepted, she would never know. She guessed he just had a point to prove since he was just returning from injury or something.

Love made you do crazy things. _Any_thing sometimes. She knew that firsthand. So in a twisted way it made sense that Hunter had accepted this match despite the fact that he'd fought through over two dozen guys to attain it.

This match was a very back and forth one. Both men had amazing stamina. But Kurt had one up on Hunter in terms of agility. Not that Kurt was able to capitalize on it since Hunter kept pummeling the shit out of him. It was always so interesting to watch him truly decimate opponents. Everything he did in and out of the ring was systematic, plain and simple.

Stephanie winced when Hunter's huge, taped right fist caught Kurt in the cheekbone. That would probably leave a nasty bruise. "Come on, Kurt!" She cheered. God, it felt so foreign cheering – well, against Hunter basically.

Dismissing her thought, she grabbed the bottom rope and paid close attention to what was going on inside the ring. Maybe Kurt was motivated by her or something, because when Hunter used his left hand to hold Kurt in place while he drew his right fist back, Kurt grabbed him. Her eyes widened when Hunter hit the mat after a particularly vicious belly-to-belly suplex. It was executed a little awkwardly because Hunter weighed more than Kurt and because Kurt was still loopy from being punched in the head. Hunter landed partially on his right side and leg.

Despite the fact that they were broken up for all intents and purposes, she couldn't shake her concern that his leg might get re-injured. That's if it wasn't already. Totally forgetting about the fact that she should be applauding Kurt, her eyes stayed on Hunter and she silently willed him to get up and be okay.

So when Kurt leaned through the ropes, grabbed both sides of her face and puckered his lips, she was stunned. It hadn't even registered that he'd entered her line of vision. She snapped back to reality quickly and slapped him just before his lips would have made contact with hers.

Kurt touched his cheek and glared at her questionably. "What the hell, Stephanie? What game are you playing at, huh?"

"What's wrong with you?" She shot back. "We're business partners. Nothing more."

Kurt let out a frustrated yell and reached for her again. Stephanie backed up and threw her hands into the air in defeat. She was done with this crap. The last thing she needed was more drama. She moved away from the ring, past the commentating booth and in the direction of the ramp.

The crowd cheered and she heard a thud, but she didn't look up to see what was going on. She tried to force herself not to care about how either man was faring in this match.

While lying on his side, Hunter had seen Kurt try to kiss Stephanie. He couldn't deny that he was happy she'd slapped him and decided to be done with the situation. It eased his fear that she was already well on her way to replacing him. While Kurt somewhat followed her with a confused expression, Hunter was getting up. He tapped Angle on the shoulder and when the man turned around he was met with a pedigree. Quickly, Hunter got to his feet.

"Hey!" He suddenly yelled from the direction of the ring.

Stephanie tensed up at the word, but decided that Hunter couldn't possibly be talking to her. She wasn't going to embarrass herself by turning around. Even if he was talking to her, what he had to say would probably be horrible anyway. Defiantly and proudly, she lifted her head and stuck her chin out the slightest bit while she continued up the ramp. She heard the noise signaling that a tech had turned on a microphone and handed it over.

It was Hunter's gravelly voice that echoed loud and clear throughout the arena. "Stephanie, wait!"

_Breathe, _she told herself. She needed the inward pep talk. Because as soon as her name left his lips, most of her body's functions had ceased to work. She stood frozen to her spot and breathless.

Upon seeing he had her attention, Hunter took a deep breath. It was now or never. Over the last few months he'd become a fairly private person. But already so much time had been wasted fighting with her. And their talk – if you could call it that – had really struck a chord in him. Yes, she was still in the wrong for faking a pregnancy. And that was about it. He was guilty of much more over the course of their marriage. And Stephanie was right; she did deserve a better husband. It wouldn't be fixed instantly. They'd caused each other too much pain. But since he'd sort of started this by being an asshole, he would take the initiative to suggest they start mending their marriage.

"The other night," he began evenly. "You said you wrote me a letter apologizing and asking me to meet you so we could talk about our problems. You said you went to our spot and stayed...until it closed."

Still facing the direction of the backstage area, Stephanie swallowed and drew her bottom lip in. Why was he doing this to her? Why now? Why here? Did he hate her so much that he'd ask her to further humiliate herself on national television? Did he want her to say to the entire world that she'd pathetically tried to crawl back to him and beg for forgiveness? She blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. She wasn't going to turn around. Wasn't going to let him see that he was getting to her. He would probably get off on it.

Then he uttered something that surprised and pissed her off all at once. "Is that true?"

Once again deciding that things like dignity, pride and self-respect could go to hell – because they really didn't do anything tangible for her anyway - she spun around and didn't bother trying to stop her tears this time. Unable to believe his fucking nerve, she shook her head and signaled for someone to get her a damn microphone. Once she had it in hand she let out the breath she'd been holding ever since he told her to wait. If he wanted to do this now, they would. She was about to show everyone exactly how much of an asshole he was. "Yes it's true, Hunter," she said fiercely. "But you already know that. Because you got my letter asking you to meet me at 6. You got my text message where I sent you a question mark _an hour _after you'd stood me up. And you wanna how damn naive I am? Even once I saw that you'd read the message but didn't reply, I continued to wait. I waited until the cafe closed. Then I ended up at our house, for reasons that are beyond me. But I saw the reply you'd typed in on your phone. That my efforts weren't good enough. But you couldn't send it, could you? No, you just had to let me wait alone in the cold like a damn fool for two hours." She tilted her head and drew her eyebrows together in brief concentration. "In the grand scheme of things, I guess that's not a lot. Not when I'd truly been waiting for you for almost a solid year."

Slowly, Hunter shook his head. "I never got your letter Stephanie. When you sent me the picture and the question mark I thought _that _was your attempt to make things better."

Her mouth parted but no words came out. While this was surprising, it changed absolutely nothing. This whole ordeal had just made her realize exactly how shitty of a partner he'd been to her. So what if he hadn't received her letter? That didn't magically erase the other atrocities he committed against their relationship.

"If I would've known, I-"

"You'd have what?" Stephanie interrupted. "Met with me and agreed to work on us? You might be able to lie to all these people, but not to me. Not anymore. We've had this conversation already. Letter or no letter, you don't give a damn whether or not we stay married because you never really loved me anyway."

"That's not true," he disagreed.

She chuckled bitterly. "No? Well then you sure have a confusing way of showing your love. Or maybe _you_ just don't know what you really want." Stephanie nodded, sure that she was doing and saying what was right for her life. "Quite frankly I'm simply tired of the confusion and the pain." She turned around and led the way to the backstage area with her temper. She didn't know what it was; maybe her defenses had just gone on high alert. Because Hunter was pretty much saying exactly what she used to hope he would. Only she wouldn't allow herself to believe it. She couldn't, really.

Since she wasn't paying any attention, she didn't realize that Hunter had climbed out of the ring and started to walk after her. Right as she reached the titantron she heard him speak again. "Where are you going?" He asked.

Brow furrowed, she turned back around and saw that he was standing at the end of the ramp. "I don't know," she admitted. "I think I need a break from all this craziness. Maybe I'll book myself a vacation to someplace tropical."

He nodded and considered quickly. "I haven't had one of those since our honeymoon. And well, I guess my quad could use some rest..." he trailed off and looked at Stephanie with a softened expression.

Stephanie inhaled deeply but chose not to take the bait. She reminded herself that every time they fell apart at the seams, he changed for all of five days and then went back to being a workaholic and a jerk. "Maybe you should take a vacation then," she replied neutrally.

"I agree. So...where are you going?" He asked again.

"Maybe Hawaii. Or Tahiti. I don't know."

Hunter rubbed at his thin beard. "Nice options. Personally, I was thinking of the Bahamas," he paused and stared at Stephanie very seriously. "I've made some great memories there. I was thinking that maybe if I go there again then somehow I can get those memories back. And instead of neglecting them because I was afraid of how good it felt to have them...I'd cherish them."

Stephanie grazed her teeth over her bottom lip. The Bahamas was where they had spent their honeymoon. Technically it had been Christmas as well, but they hadn't been able to take a break from the business until that holiday rolled around.

The crowd started chanting "you suck" which caused Stephanie to look towards the ring and Hunter to turn back around. Kurt Angle was in the ring celebrating the fact that Hunter was being counted out. If that happened then Kurt's number one contender's spot was secured. Currently, the referee was at the count of four. If Hunter turned around and climbed through the ropes now he'd make it back into the match with time to spare.

Surprising the hell out of Stephanie – and in some ways, himself – Hunter dropped the microphone and turned his back on everything except Stephanie. He stepped away from the ring, the referee, Kurt Angle and the match. Away from his chance to go on to reclaim the title in just three days. He ran up the ramp to where Stephanie was still standing, looking like a deer in headlights. Once he reached her, his breathing was momentarily heavy and he gave her a lopsided smile.

"You-you should g-go back," she stammered out. "The ref is on six."

Hunter lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I've got something more important to take care of," he answered honestly.

_God, _she asked in a tiny voice inside her mind, _is this really happening? If this is a dream I swear I will go out and break every last one of the ten commandments tomorrow. Please let me have this. For good_, she added_, not just temporarily. _She arched an eyebrow and asked, "What could possibly be more important to you than the title?"

"Love," he answered immediately. "I've been a bastard husband. I really have and I'm sorry for it. It doesn't totally excuse what you did...but I understand. And I understand the miscommunication that had you so pissed off at me over the last few days."

The referee shouted louder with each number. In truth, he was counting rather slowly because he didn't particularly fancy Kurt Angle and was hoping that Hunter won. "Eight!" He yelled loud enough for them to hear.

Stephanie gestured towards the ring. "You could still make it," she urged lightly.

Hunter glanced over his shoulder before turning back to grin at Stephanie. "I could," he agreed with a shrug. "But there's a lot I want us to talk about. A lot of time has been wasted, so I want a head start." He held out his hand to her and decided to ask one more time. "Where are you going?"

Stephanie's blue eyes glanced down at his outstretched hand, then back up to his expectant face. He looked sincere. But he'd looked sincere all the other times they were supposed to be making things better. _So why should I believe things will change this time? _She wondered inwardly.

The referee shouted ten and the bell rang wildly followed by Kurt Angle's music playing to signal his triumph. Hunter's gaze didn't waver from hers while he waited for her reply. But she had the answer for the question she'd asked herself. This time things really would be different. Hunter had basically just forfeited his shot – his technically rightful shot - at the title to try to work things out with her. He'd suggested they return to the location of their honeymoon. Yes, his quad was a little weak. But it was nothing he hadn't been through before. She'd seen him wrestle with broken ribs, arm injuries and with his head bleeding profusely. The sole reason he was taking some time off was for her. For them. That alone conveyed how serious and committed he was to the idea of saving their marriage.

She placed her slender hand in his.

Hunter smiled at her hugely and she found herself smiling back before he yanked her up against him and into a kiss.

Kurt Angle might have won the match - hell, he might just go on to win the title from Chris Jericho. But they had won back their chance at a future together. And quite simply Stephanie was pleased that Hunter finally realized that nothing could or should compare to that opportunity.


End file.
